Person Fell 80 Feet from Santa Cruz, CA, Tree as Firefighters Prepared for Rescue

While Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz firefighters were preparing to rescue two from a redwood tree, one person fell.

Nov. 25, 2025

2 min read

Aidin Vaziri
San Francisco Chronicle
(TNS)

Nov. 24—A weekend rescue near UC Santa Cruz turned critical after a person fell about 80 feet from a redwood tree as firefighters worked to reach them, authorities said.

In a statement, Cal Fire's San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit said Saturday had already been "a very busy day" for crews in the Bonny Doon area. Earlier, search and rescue teams looking for a missing person discovered an injured bicyclist. Firefighters helped extricate the cyclist, who was flown by air ambulance to a hospital.

Later in the day, responders were called to a grove near the UC Santa Cruz campus, where two people had climbed high into a redwood and become stuck. As firefighters assessed how to bring them down safely, one person fell.

"Unfortunately, as firefighters were determining the rescue plan, one person fell approximately 80 feet and was transported to a trauma center by air ambulance, while the second individual was safely brought down with the help of a firefighter and a 35-foot ladder," Cal Fire wrote.

It was not immediately clear why the pair had climbed so high into the tree.

Authorities have not released an update on the condition of the person who fell.

They did not disclose whether the individual was affiliated with the school.